Slave to the Moon
by Bellatrix.ox
Summary: Following the lives of the Marauders at Hogwarts but specifically Remus. How life as a wolf breaks a few rules...
1. Part I

**AN:** Hi guys, this is my second Fan Fiction so I hope you enjoy it! For those of you who read Bloodlines I'm so sorry I wasn't committed enough to finish it. If you feel I should go back to it and do it justice let me know. For now though, let's have a fresh start with the Marauders.

Slave to the Moon

Part I

Remus felt his body writhe in admiration as she flourished into the room. Defence against the Dark Arts became fun when she decided to show up.

"Ten points from Hufflepuff for lateness Nymphadora." The Hufflepuff's groaned in annoyance but Remus felt a grin spread across his face. Tonks' anger radiated from her body in suffocating waves and Remus' in humane senses absorbed every gust. She hated her name and to her, it was more of a punishment for it to be mentioned than the loss of ten House points.

"Where have you been?" he asked as outwardly smirking. She glanced at him through abyss like black eyes.

"Wotcha, Lupin, I might actually think you cared." His smile vanished and he placed all four feet of the chair on the stone floor.

"Wotcha, Nymphadora, I actually might." She bristled and waves of anger and something strangely pleasant flowed towards his senses. She turned from him and her hair grew long and golden around her face and shoulders, curtaining him from view. He pulled her silky hair back like a veil. "You can't hide anything from me Tonks." What he saw beneath her hair was a brightly blushing girl who was holding back giggles; he placed a kiss on her cheek. "...nothing." he whispered softly and watched the goose bumps gather on her neck. And as he watched her neck, he saw the feint movement of her veins throbbing. Oh he could feel it. His pupils widened and shrinked with every heart beat she took and the temptation became too much. The wolf in his being throbbed in anticipation and he let out a mournful moan. _Why hide it when you really, really need it...?_ He agreed with his mind. He flexed his jaw and felt the painful growth of his teeth. He cried out but she remained still. The class was continuing without any disruption. The pain was worth it though. Every drop of blood he lost in the transition was gained when he feasted on her beautiful neck...

He let out one long growl before lurching forwards and sinking his teeth into the curve of her neck. She didn't flinch. He growled in frustration and wrenched his head back with his teeth still clutching her skin. Blood seeped from her neck and stained her yellow collar red.

"_Remus._" The noise was too loud, the name to familiar. It ricocheted around inside his head and stabbed every inch of his brain. "_Remy, just wake up_."

_Remy just wake up_. Was it that simple?

His eyes ripped wide open with a start. The moan that left his lips was like no other James had heard before. He'd awoken to Mooney snarling and wriggling in his bed sheets tearing and ravishing each finely woven piece of thread. The growls were different now, less ferocious and predator like. More...human. A very sad human. Tears flooded down his sweat laden cheeks and his sobs were torn from his body in violent jerks.

"Calm down, Mooney."

"Calm down?" James jerked back from Remus' sudden outburst.

"How can I, Prongs? Most teenage boys dream about doing You-Know-What with their crushes and I dream about ripping my girls head off!"

"I have to agree with the first half," he glanced over his shoulder at the pillow he constantly imagined was hidden by locks of copper red hair. "But you aren't most teenage boys." He sat back on his mattress and leaned on his hands. Remus ran his long fingers through his hair and swivelled off the side of his four poster bed.

"Why can't I behave like them, like you, then?"

"Because we didn't get bitten and get our asses turned into were-wolves did we?" Sirius stated sauntering out of the bathroom in a towel. Remus bristled.

"Padfoot," James moaned.

"What?" Sirius' ignorance to feelings was known to Remus. But that still didn't stop him from taking his words as insults. He growled and spun away from his trunk and thumped his fist hard into Sirius' bare chest. The boy flew back and smacked his head against the opposite wall. Drawing his wand, Sirius rose to his feet. Remus' anger had filled the room with uneasy tension.

"Enough!" James spat, striding between both the snarling wolf and the pissed off wizard. "Peter!" he snapped and the lump rolled of his bed.

"W-what?"

"Take Sirius to the Hospital Wing," Peter saluted James.

"Aye, Aye captain," Anger flared from James' form.

"Just do it." Peter handed Sirius the pyjama trousers that were thrown on Sirius' bed. There was a large fist shaped mark over his chest. The back of his damp hair was also intertwining with blood. "And do it quickly." Peter scurried from the room with a dazed Sirius in tow.

"Remy, is it happening again?"

"It's a disease, James, it never leaves."

"But is it a full moon any time soon?" Remus pointed to the moon chart they'd placed on the window ledge.

"See for yourself." He strode into the bathroom and had a cold shower which was an un intentional middle finger from Sirius and his love for a hot shower. James glanced at the moon chart. It was indeed the night the moon shone at its fullest.

**AN:** Sorry Chapter 1 isn't very long but this is a little taster to see if people like it. Let me know!


	2. Part II

**AN: **So this is part II, enjoy!

Part II

Slave to the Moon

The moon was indeed not a nice master to one of its many slaves. The slave in question was now fighting the urge to scream at a group of First Years clogging up the corridor. Let's put it this way; every emotion or instinct a Werewolf gets on a full moon is magnified. Like when you are normal and you feel like ripping the mouthy first year who talked back to you's head off, you ignore it. When you're not normal, you have to have your best friend wrench your arms from the boy's neck.

"Remus!" James shouted for the hundredth time. Finally the wolf released the boy and the band of First Years all but sprinted towards the Great Hall. "Thank god McGonagall wasn't here or-"

"Ten points from Gryffindor for inflicting violence."

"Spoke to soon." James finished mournfully. They strode down the steps- or rather Remus strode, James ran to keep up- and through the large double doors to the Great Hall.

"If you ever feel like that again," James started as they searched the sea of students for their friends "Say the code word and I'll help." Remus grunted in agreement.

"So what's the code word?" he asked after a pause. Frank Longbottom waved them over and they began the decent towards the other end of the hall.

"Erm," James straightened his glasses and ran a hand through his dark hair "Bacon." He finished as they swung their legs over the benches.

"Oh there's lots of it this morning, smoked and normal." Remus and James looked up from their conversation. Tonks was talking to them from the Hufflepuff table. "I doubt there's any left on the Gryffindor table because you guys eat like animals!" she commented turning towards them with a large bowl of Bacon rashes. James kicked Remus under the table. The wolf flared to life and almost snatched the bowl from her grasp. Tonks frowned, her hair flaming scarlet.

"Oh,"

(Another kick)

"Thanks,"

"Don't mention it." She turned stiffly away from them and James rolled his eyes at his brother like friend.

"What actually happened in this dream of yours, Mooney?"

Frank was chatting lazily away to the other Gryffindor's closest about his discovery of reactive plants in the greenhouses. And surprisingly, everyone was listening. _Must be no gossip_, Remus thought dejectedly. He shovelled food onto his plate and leaned back as arms reached out for the bacon on their table. _We really are animals_, he thought. James was waiting patiently for his reply but where was he even going to start?

He chose to start with the deduction of house points. He recounted the dream to the best of his memory and set his knife and fork down when he finished. The food was cold and he felt like bricks were cemented to his stomach anyway. James glanced at the chattering Gryffindor's around them. "_What if the vine Mrs Philliafoot is growing turn out to have poisonous thorns?" _Frank said whole heartedly waving his hands dramatically as he spoke.

"Remus, none of that was really you." James said softly. Remus looked up questioningly. "First off, when would you rock back on your chair legs when apparently it's _the easiest way to be brain damaged_?" Remus smiled at his own quote.

"I-I suppose,"

"And would you ever talk whilst the teacher is talking?"

"Never,"

"Would you even speak to Tonks let alone tease her?" the wolf shook his head.

"Our subconscious are strange, strange places to be Remy. Merlin, I've been round the school naked in my head!"

"James, that wasn't a dream." Potters face fell. "Sirius and you were skinny dipping in the Black Lake, remember? Then he betted you five galleons to run to the Astronomy tower and back."

"For only five galleons? And anyway that was at night nobody saw me."

"No just the whole third year Astronomy class drawing rather graphic planet positions." He winked and James flushed and cleared his throat.

"Can't say it's the first time." He laughed.

"Oh, yeah," said Remus laughing before he finished what he was going to say "And Lily Evans." James chucked his mug of tea down his uniform in shock.

"You missed your mouth Potter." Lily said taking the seat opposite us "Which is a revolutionary discovery." But James for once didn't even register she was there (another revolutionary discovery) and proceeded to gape wide eyed at Remus.

"Uh, Prongs?" Said Remus after it became creepy. James snapped his head round and planted the mug firmly on the table.

"At least she had a nice view to look at,"

"Who did?" James' shoulders stiffened and he raised his head slowly from his plate.

"Evans!"

"Potter?"

"We were talking about Peter's owl, Pricilla, falling off the top of the Owlery and breaking her neck."

"Your full of lovely things aren't you, Remus?" James snapped. Remus shrugged.

"Bacon," Confusion crossed his face. "What you use it for me but for you it's not acceptable?" James calmed down.

"Yeah, Bacon. So anyway she had a nice view...as she plummeted to the earth." He finished with a wry glance at Remus.

"Do you think Owls taste like chicken?" Remus asked, thinking aloud.

"Owls taste very chewy." The Marauders span around to see Tonks rising from her seat like a queen. Her hair was bubble gum pink and wind swept back.

"You know this how?" James asked.

"The same thought crossed my mind once, Wotcher boys." She left with a wink at Remus.

"Bacon, Bacon, Bacon." Remus chanted.

"Oh that ain't just bacon, Remy...that's Smokey Bacon." James winced as Remus slapped his arm. He turned to Lily, but he seat was vacated. James did a Meerkat like scan of the area. A head of auburn hair was talking animatedly to someone on the Slytherin table. Someone with greasy black hair.

**AN:** Sorry if this seems a bit pointless but I think it's nice just to see a typical breakfast don't you? It should get better soon mind you!


	3. Part III

Slave to the Moon

Part III

"What's he sulking about?"

"The usual," Remus replied as Sirius joined them on the way to Potions.

"Oh, what was it this time?"

"Left to speak to Snape," Sirius reached round Remus and slapped the back of James' sunken head. James stood straight and whipped around to the group of Ravenclaws behind us. Each of the girls giggled.

"Get over her, Prongs." James straightened his robes and turned back to the damp corridor that leads to the lower dungeons.

"Not that easy."

"You haven't even tried." James shrugged and Remus felt the air in the corridor fall colder, if that was possible. Remus felt dizzy with the raised hormones of the girls behind them, the annoyance but swagger of Sirius and the depression of James. Were his emotions so dull that everyone else's gave him a headache?

"I like the smell of awkwardness in the air." He commented. James laughed and some of the tension eased from the surroundings.

"Bacon?" Remus shrugged.

"Are you going to tell me what that means or shall I guess?" Irritation ensnared Remus' senses.

"It means-"Remus began in an undertone.

"No, No, let him guess."

"You're hungry?" Remus shook his head.

"You have a pig?"

"Nope,"

"There's a new member of the Marauders?"

"I was informed every member had to approve first."

"Bacon is a code word?" James put one finger on his nose and with the other hand pointed at Sirius. Excitement flared in the air.

"Oh, I'm close! It means you're pissed off?"

"Colder."

"You smell things?"

"Ah, warmer."

"You smell things others don't?"

"Really warm!"

"You get a _furry little problem_ moment?"

"As hot as..."

"My body?" Sirius answered winking.

"Lily Evans?" James asked.

"As hot as...this...potions room." They stopped in the doorway. At the front of the room Slughorn was nurturing a fire so large that the embers nearly touched the ceiling. The flames sparked pink and blue making some of the girls watching ooh and ahh.

"What a strange sound." James said as the past behind the large group of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor girls' ooh-ing.

"That's actually quite normal really. They say that when I'm finished with them."Sirius said proudly. Remus laughed and lumbered round the desk behind them and dumped his bag on the vandalised wood. Whilst scratching over the fact that Sally loved Henry L with his finger nail he glanced at the vacant stool beside him.

"Hey where's Peter?"

James and Sirius turned. James shrugged "Who knows?"

"Oh, he said he had to hand in some homework or something." Remus frowned.

"What subject?" he asked reaching in his bag for the scrap of parchment he used to note down his homework.

"Uh, either he didn't say or I didn't listen." Remus nodded and dropped his bag at his feet.

"Right, Students, today-" Slughorn dithered off as the dungeon door opened. The "Death Eaters" as they called themselves slouched in one by one. Led by the ferret faced and bleach blonde haired, Lucius Malfoy. Deep inside Remus, loathing twisted in his gut. His robes were shadowed by the thin bony figure of Narcissa Black and her frizzy haired sister, Bellatrix. Sirius stiffened and bowed his head in embarrassment. Finally after a few extras that trailed in with gaunt, sallow faces the pack was ended by the greasy haired and over confident, Severus Snape. James and Sirius leapt up from their stools suddenly, the class turned.

"Watch out, watch out Severus Snape!" They chanted "The shower's been mobilised, and it's coming your way!" Snape seethed as the class fell into raucous laughter. Padfoot and Prongs took their seats.

"How long have you been working on that one?"Remus asked with his head in his hands.

"A couple of weeks." James grinned. Then his face fell at something over Remus' shoulder. Remus glanced round and Lily Evans met his gaze with a stony glare.

"Will you ever grow up?" she snapped "That wasn't even funny."

"Oh come on Evans," Sirius moaned "Even _you_ laughed at that one!"

"I did not."

"Good luck getting laughter out of _her_," Erik Patil scorned from the row to our left "She lost her sense of humour in the library." Sirius laughed and high fived him. James fell silent but there was still a smug smile across his lips. As Snape stalked past Sirius stuck out his leg and placed his foot on the back of Snape's robes. There was an almighty tear and Remus felt dizzy with all the emotions such as seething anger and humorous laughter clouded his thoughts. Snape had a scent of singed wood and a spicier scent of Basil that made Remus' nose tickle. But now that scent became sour like gone off milk and Remus gagged in his seat.

"Look, even Remus thinks you should have a shower!" Patil teased. The Ravenclaws laughed and as Snape raised himself from the stone floor where he collected the remnants of his robes, Remus shot him an apologetic look. Snape ignored it and there was suddenly an overpowering scent of Lilies and freshly cut grass.

"Of all people, _you_ fall into their childish games." Remus winced and turned. Lily stood with her hands on her hips behind him.

"I-I wasn't..."

"Save it Remus," she snapped "...and James..." there was a small gasp behind Remus' shoulder. _Oh for Merlin's sake Prongs_, Remus' inner thoughts growled.

"I was even beginning to think..."

"What! What were you beginning to think?" he asked eagerly from behind him. She shook her head. Locks of her scarlet hair danced and the steely emerald gaze she gave him made a small part of Remus weep inside. The look was colder than any glacier on the Northern Ice and as hatred filled as a murderers alibi.

"You never change, you never will!" she barked, her voice cutting through the air like a hot blade through butter. The fresh air and the musky scent of pine wood and dirt that emanated from James body began to rot away into a shrivelled unpleasant smell of damp algae and copper. The smell of James' pain. "Your just a pathetic little boy who grapples for the limelight. You're a coward and a show off and you think you're so..."

"Hang on a minute!" Remus rose from his seat suddenly. Evans froze, startled, from his outburst. He pointed a finger at her, feeling his inhuman blood burn around his body in torrents of anger.

"You. Know. Nothing." She gaped at him "Absolutely nothing!" he paused and took a ragged breath "But at the same time your right...every day he changes..._every single _day something happens to that boy...and you know nothing about him or _why _he does things for your attention, hell, he does things for your _affection._ And that's where you're right!" She blinked at him and Snape stiffened protectively "You're right about him not changing because every single day the same thing keeps him going...you keep him going...and you have no idea...so keep your stupid opinions to _yourself_ because I certainly don't want to hear it." He finished and feeling the weight of the classes gazes on his shoulders, he began to blush. Tears glazed Lilly's eyes but Remus ignored her and sat back down.

Slughorn, it seemed, either wasn't acknowledging the argument or the old bat hadn't heard it. He began to scrawl the potion onto the blackboard behind him.

"Here," he wheezed gesturing to the fire. "Does anyone know why this fire is in my classroom this morning?" As always, Remus and Lily were the first to answer.

"Miss Evans,"

"It's the Incendio Flame, sir; it nurtures seeds that grow for the Acornetium Potion."

"Indeed, Mr Lupin, can you tell me what the potion is for?"

"It's a form hypnosis, Professor; it lets your dreams become...a reality."

Flashbacks of Tonks' neck scurried through his mind's eye. James smiled reassuringly.

"Excellent! Excellent, twenty points for Gryffindor, now..." as Slughorn pulled on a pair of dragon skin gloves and reached into the fire, Remus heard hurried whispers from behind. They were angry whispers. The wolf part of him bristled, pleading to release a tiny bit of its power. He allowed it, steadily concentrating on his ears only. If he relaxed and let the wolf take over, the lesson would be more than interesting for everyone. He felt a harsh stab in his eardrum and winced. _It'll never be easy, _he thought miserably. His ears heard hollow, distant noises at first then a shock of clarity and precise hearing stabbed his brain. He tensed, mentally trying to turn the volume down. A fly buzzed in front of a Ravenclaw on the first row. She swatted it away. And Remus heard the _whoosh _of her hand. He turned his attention back to the whisperers.

"_...are you crying? Surely you don't..."_

"_Shush, Severus,"_

"_No, I won't. You must forget them, you must let go of that boy..."_

"_But Remus is right he isn't a boy, that night..."_

"_On the Astronomy Tower? You told me you never saw anything!"_

"_I didn't! Not really. But I did see a man not a boy."_

"_What he did was childish."_

"_That doesn't mean he isn't a man."_

"_Lily, are you...are you blushing?"_

"_Oh, hardly."_

"_You actually care for Potter?"_

"_Of course I don't. Don't be stupid. But even I can't deny that..."_

"_That what...?"_

"_That Potter has...a unique complexion."_

"_Meaning?"_

"_He's a beautiful man, Sev, on the inside...no. But I don't know that, Remus could be right, there might be more to him than..."_

"_A beautifully unique complexion?"_

"_Don't get mad..."_

Remus yelped in shock and pain as something hot pressed against his palm. He jolted, almost throwing the fist sized seed in the air. He caught it again and dropped it like a rock in a puddle onto his desk.

"Pay, attention." Drawled the smug Malfoy handing out seeds in emerald green gloves. Remus growled in a low throaty grumble and felt his irises churn in anger. Malfoy flinched and stalked on. Remus calmed himself and licked his dry lips.

"So..." Peter asked "What do we do?"

By the time break rolled around the class was dripping with sweat and their eyes were foggy with illusions.

"It'll wear off Mr Longbottom, it'll wear off...Mr Patil, can you take him to the Hospital Wing?" Came the distant voice of Slughorn as the Marauders all but ran out to the grounds. Remus was comfortably slouching in the shade of a tree on the grass gazing up at the Castle, Peter was snoring face up in the sunlight and his cheeks were beginning to turn red. Sirius was gleefully sending tickling hexes out to the Giant Squids lazy tentacle and James had rolled up his trousers and dumped his robe on the grass. He paddled round the shallows of the Lake mournfully skipping stones. The snitch slowly whirred around him, knowing its master's sadness could be cured by a game of catch. James ignored it.

"Prongs," Remus called. Peter snorted in his sleep but rolled onto his side. James glanced at Sirius who was winking at a few Hufflepuff girls admiring him from afar before wandering out of the Black lake and sitting cross legged in front of Remus. He grabbed the snitch forcefully out of the air and thrust it in his pocket.

"What?"

"I...heard something..." the wolf recounted the conversation to James and watched as the smile broadened on his lips.

"Really?" James asked as he pulled on his shoes. Remus nodded. "Well then..." he froze "What do I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell her you were listening; she'd take it the wrong way."

"Oh." He rose with James and handed him his school bag. Sirius had made contact with the girls and was chatting lazily to them whilst sat on a boulder. Mooney and Prongs rolled Peter into the shade before wandering towards the castle. The courtyard was empty besides a few Ravenclaws reading on benches.

"How could you!" came a shrill voice. Remus and James froze as Lilly ran out of the large doors. "How could you?" she sobbed and when she turned her head forwards there wasn't enough time for her momentum to stop before she reached James. They fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, but when Remus helped them up, he was surprised by Lily's longing to be held by James. She wrapped her arms round him and sobbed into his shoulder. With a look of bewilderment and concern, James began to sooth his beloved.

"What happened?" he whispered so gently Remus almost had to let his wolf senses take over again.

"Lily!" Snape called from the entrance. James released her suddenly and pulled her behind his back protectively.

"What have you done?" James asked. His voice was low and deadly. Remus shuddered as James' naturally friendly scent turned dark and threatening. The hairs on the back of Remus' head stood up.

"He, he called me a Mudblood." Lily sobbed into James' shoulder blades.

If looks could have killed, Severus Snape would be nothing more than a heap of clothing.


End file.
